Exploring the Definition of Spirituality

What Does the Term “Spirituality” Include?

When I started meditating years ago, I came across the word “spirituality” in most of the books I read on the subject.

But a quick online search will include results for metaphysical sites, psychic sites and more.

While I think there is definitely a place for these things, the idea of “spirituality” is almost…problematic.

If you ask someone, “what’s your religion?” or “what do you believe?” and the answer is, “I’m spiritual,” or “I’m spiritual but not religious,” this can mean so, so many things.

It might be a cover for being Pagan. It might mean that you’re open to all religions. It might mean you’re agnostic. It might mean that you’re “religiously confused.” It might mean that you subscribe to Eastern Philosophy. It might mean that you dabble in Native American shamanism. It might also mean that you regularly meditate.

See what I mean?

Spiritually Independent

Not long ago, I came across a term called, “spiritually independent.” Basically it refers to someone who respects all religions, is open to ideas, and that a person doesn’t subscribe to one particular path.

That is exactly the point of view with which I approach my own spirituality.

I grew up Catholic. I enjoyed it while I was into it. But personal problems with the ideology (especially concerning women) prompted me to ask hard questions for which I couldn’t find the answers.

I’ve gone on to explore other Christian denominations, the Unitarians, and Buddhism. I’ve looked into Native American ideas and paths, as well.

I’ll be honest: I haven’t explored the religion of Islam or Wicca or polytheistic religions that much. Part of it is my lack of understanding and part of it is that I feel more comfortable with the first set of religions and ideas to which I refer.

Eastern Philosophy and Christian-based ideologies (insofar as my familiarity with them), as well as Native American Indian ideologies seem to resonate with my own heart and soul the best.

And because every person is different, other ideologies might sit better with them.

This is all okay – and the way it should be.

But for the purposes of defining spirituality, I explore ideas within the traditions with which I’m familiar, while exploring ancient ideas that have withstood the test of time.

I’m open to other ideas, of course.

This is why the term, “spiritually independent” is good. On the spirituallyindependent.org website, their definition fits the purposes of my own perspective perfectly:

The Spiritually Independent are wisdom seekers and meaning makers who cross religious, scientific, and artistic boundaries. We are passionate about story as well as history, mythos as well as logos, rapture as well as ritual.

That last word catches my attention: I love ritual.

Years and years of attending Catholic mass have left me with a strong desire for ritual in my life. I actually do love many of the meanings and symbols they use: a crucifix to symbolize a sacrifice for love, a chalice and bread to symbolize fellowship, a rosary to symbolize repetition of prayer as meditation.

(And, well, maybe the church didn’t entirely intend for little ol’ me to derive such meanings, but with this personal take on that, I could appreciate their ideas and symbolism a little more.)

Because of the need for ritual, I have created it in my own life. I like to smudge and use sage, believing in positive and negative energy and hoping to dispel negative energy.

Evolution and Science

I believe in focusing on the breath – going within to help navigate an often traumatic world. I have a ritual of meditating every single day.

And yes, I believe that science and evolution inform many of my own personal decisions and understanding of my world…and my spirituality.

Yes, I think humans evolved from neanderthals who evolved from apes who evolved from other mammals who evolved from all the other kinds of animals who preceded them…all the way to the first one-celled organisms that first appeared on the earth.

I think about how the earth is like a giant spider web – borrowing from Native American wisdom – and that which we do to one part of it, affects the whole.

So yes, if we pillage the forests and the mountains, leech oil into our oceans, blast rocks and don’t care to save animals from going extinct, yes, I think we’ll have to answer for that. We’ll have to answer to ourselves and to the seven generations after us who will have to clean up our mess.

But I also believe in the goodness of humanity.

That we aren’t “all good” or “all bad” but that we have the power to make decisions that can change the world.

For the better. Or worse, if we shirk our responsibilities to ourselves and to the earth.

Because, really, when we invented all our gadgets or started exploring the ends of the earth, our ancestors’ intentions weren’t bad. Decisions that came afterward were.

One of the biggest reasons I have trouble with Christianity, for example, is the fact that in its name, early European explorers had complete disregard for the thoughts, feelings, traditions, and ideas of Native American populations. It wasn’t Christian and therefore it was “bad” – and had to be eliminated.

Word spread among tribes of Native Americans such that entire populations committed suicide before the arrival of the Europeans to escape a hard life of slavery, torture and dismissal of cultural traditions and ideas.

Cortez and his group burned the Aztec codices, destroying their written history and account of their belief system.

Missionaries prohibited them from speaking their language.

And because the explorers’ point of view was so violently enforced, the founding of the United States even recognized slavery as an acceptable way of life – to the detriment of so many other people and their way of life.

To this day, we bear the legacy of the institution of slavery with the persistent existence of white privilege and lack of understanding of those who are “different” from us: from those who are homosexual, transgendered to those who emigrate and settle in the US.

Honestly, being spiritually independent is part of my own way of addressing this. We are many in this human race, but really, we all are one.

We all have a need for security, love, compassion, acceptance, belonging, food, shelter, clothing, and to feel important.

To not erase our human history, but to acknowledge our historic wounds, learn from them, and make a conscious decision to help all find their path, their raison d’être, and to proudly walk this earth knowing that each of us is love, has worth, and that we are all equal and capable of creating peace within ourselves is one of my goals.

And still, today, the idea of proselytization bothers me – very much so. I’ve always thought that one’s path to living life – as long as it doesn’t hurt others – is a highly personal one.

What gives one human the right to impose deeply personal beliefs on another? This goes for any religion. Any path. Any way of life.

Quite a few religious traditions try to get followers through coercion: “you’ll go to hell if you don’t believe in Jesus,” or “if you turn away from your religion, you’re doomed,” and on and on.

Looking Within…and Breathing

That kind of dogma makes me want to run far, far away.

So that I can explore within. Get in touch with my spirit. My instincts. My own abilities to elicit change and spread love.

It also leads me to think that if whatever path you’re on leads to a higher consciousness and a higher state of being, then that’s the right path for you.

So if you’re Christian and you’re on a path that makes you happy and you’re content with the ideologies and they help you to be the highest version of yourself, then that’s the right path for you.

But if you are a more spiritual person who finds comfort in meditation and exploring the tenets of Taoism or Buddhism or both, and that leads to a higher consciousness, then that’s the path for you.

As I’ve traveled around the world, I have found that every culture has its own way of doing things and addressing life’s most important questions.

Why not look at what is working within those cultures and acknowledge that perhaps adopting that which resonates is totally okay and acceptable to help a person on their own path?

And a person should be allowed to change as they acquire new ideas and experiences.

Allowed to explore what resonates.

Because that’s the point, isn’t it? To ultimately become the highest version of ourselves. It shouldn’t matter how we get there as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.

What should matter is how a person has changed for the better and how they’ve made the world a better place.

What matters is that we are comfortable with exactly who we are – and how we can be proud of that fact.

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I cannot begin to tell you how much your post resonated with me as I read through your thoughts..
Like you I spent my childhood learning from various religious bodies, these included both the Church of England within its Christian teachings and the Methodists Church.. As I child I went to Sunday School and went to Bible classes and grew up within their teachings..
It wasn’t until later years these teachings would rankle me, as I saw how unjust throughout the centuries these teachings have been.. So I started to research and question Religion.. For I saw there were often not very spiritual people at their helm or those professing to be god loving were not very ‘good like’ in their treatments of others.

Many years later I am still learning, as is Humanity still learning through our experiences the many lessons still to learn about our Spirituality.. And we keep on repeating these same mistakes until we do learn them.. Which is often why history shows us again and again our many faults.. Until we let go of our judgements and prejudices, jealousies, anger and hatred.. As we put labels upon our differences..

Loved your words here ”
proudly walk this earth knowing that each of us is love, has worth, and that we are all equal and capable of creating peace within ourselves is one of my goals.”
If this were but our Main goal in life then the whole world would be at Peace, instead though we do battle with ourselves and often forget to nurture ourselves as we get bruised and battered in our growing and experiences..
We have forgotten for most part that Good ‘GOD’ force lies within each of us that we are all of us part of the whole god force within.. The God force is there within us all, He/She/it cares not what name we give it.. For its energy is wrapped within the whole of the planets consciousness.. We and our World are evolving together and as it spreads out so it changes our perception.. It alters how we view Religion and we wake up to the fact that we are all of us energy..
We are now all of us pushing forward and as we move our awareness we shift our thought patterns and for some that is scary they become fearful of letting go of the old ways of being.. Throughout time we have seen these energy shifts as we have given them labels of various ‘Ages’ as revolutions have sprung up from many periods as Changes have taken place
Now more than ever we need to unite in our Spiritual side of understanding the power of Unity through Love and caring, not only for each other but for our Planet as well.. This means facing our insecurities and fears and seeking to Balance within..
Which is why your Meditation posts are also vital for we need to go within as this is where it all begins..
Excellent Posts and Love your blog.. Can you tell 🙂 Hugs your way and thank you for sharing your wisdom dear Sageleaf.. A beautifully chosen name.. We are all of us Sages if we tap into our inner Being and we are all one Leaf upon the Tree of Life.. Thank you for sharing your wisdom
Love and Blessings and apologies for its length..
Sue xxx

Oh my gosh, Sue!! I want to respond to this properly in a little bit (off to dinner just now), but my first thought was oh no! I’m so sorry that the comments have given you such troubles! I’m sending you “happy comment vibes” and THANK YOU and such GRATITUDE for your persistence! You have a beautiful voice and I just could HUG you!
Will respond a bit more later. xx

Sue –
Oh my goodness! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this! I can’t begin to tell you how “bursting with love” my heart feels. THE FEELS!! Yes, to the part where we weren’t getting those questions answered. Yes to the cruelty that has been done in so many religions’ names. What you said about history repeating and showing us our faults until we learn them. YES! I so hope that in our lifetimes we will overcome our own limitations.
The God Force. Can I just adopt that line? We all have it. Exactly – it does not matter the name, but the fact that we’re all connected intrinsically, energetically, and even through progeny and DNA. We are all souls wrapped in outer flesh, but souls who are part of the vibration of the universe. I do think our awareness is changing. Those who do not yet feel open to this, I think, will hopefully feel that love and that it’s all about love and the Common Good and we all just want what’s best for each other. To be that highest version of ourselves. We are in a new Age of reason and I hope that we can all listen to our hearts and learn lessons from each other: every group, every culture, every walk of life. For we all have something to give, to teach, to hope for.
And yes, now, more than ever, we can and will unite. We’ll do it through example, through sheer love and raising our energy. I decided to face my fears by creating this blog: it’s quite the statement to say, “well, I’m not Christian, I’m not this or that, but I sure am LOVE.” I fall short of my own expectations here, but I’m always striving to learn, to be humble and to become better.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback. I knew – just *knew* – that first time I landed on your blog a couple years ago, that I had found a kindred spirit, an indigo soul who wanted only to make the world a better place. YOU are Sage, my friend. You also have shown me a path of bliss and have encouraged me on my journey. Thank YOU for being a beacon of light, for sharing your wisdom and I, too, will carry the torch of love and light up people’s hearts in every way I can. <3 <3 Love and blessings and I LOVE the length of your comment. It's so heart-filled and soul-filled I only wish that it had been easier to share these words in the first place. Ah well...working out the kinks to perfect our vision, no? ;) BIG HUGS!

It was not your fault Cyndi about the comment… I think some times my touch pad on my laptop is just too sensitive and I catch something or other.. I should learn by now.. I look forward to hearing back when you have more time.
I believe it is Thanksgiving time So Happy Thanksgiving my friend xxx Love and Hugs Sue xxx

Oh my goodness… I can so feel your Love Cyndi.. Many more will wake up in time my friend.. More now are as we are seeing.. I am sending love into the world right now as my thoughts are with those in Standing Rock.. This is just the beginning of Many changes as people get in touch with their inner most powerful tool there is.. Their Mind as they unite in love..
Love and Blessings dear dear friend.. And I am so grateful for this feedback… It makes blogging so worth while.. Love and Hugs xx Sue xxx

Sue-
Yes…Standing Rock. I so want to journey there at some point. But yes…we need the “tipping point” to tip in our favor. And with enough of us with an elevated conscience, we will get there. I believe it. You and I and those who support us (and those we support) are forming a chain (and I typed in “change” by accident there, but I don’t think it was an “accident” that I typed that 🙂 ) of love. Seeing your responses let me to share thoughts of gratitude with my family at our Thanksgiving table. So thankful for you! xo

Yes the collective ‘WE’ is gathering momentum I feel it too Cyndi. and I know, feel it in my bones that we are on the cusp of Change in a great way… Some of it I also know will not be pleasant. There are many out there who are still part of the herd mentality who will resist.. Many have lost their way in feeling separated and afraid of the future..

And there will always be those at the TOP of their game who exploit and plunder.. and manipulate… Learning to detach and stand back for a while to see Energy for what it is.. Allows us to not get caught within these fear games.. I feel for those who are..
We are both empathic beings who ‘Feel’ often others hurts… But we also have to understand ALL of us what ever our experiences came here at this time to help prepare for these Changes…

This is what keeps me sane… Knowing that on our Spiritual and Energetic levels we know that… Even though I know many have lost sight of that path… No path is wrong… All are here for a reason..

We can not experience Light without there being the Dark.
This is where our roads start to separate for some it will get smoother for others it may well be a bumpy ride xx

Momentum. Yes. I love that word when it relates to our collective consciousness. I just came across several articles that talk about “business startups” that are based on spreading happiness. Of course I was intrigued. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do here: spread love, (and therefore happiness) with creativity and perhaps I’ll be able to live off of that in the not-too-distant future. If everyone made it their “business” to spread happiness, what a world it would be! We’d “exchange” goods for the benefit of the world.
As far as empathy – yes, this is why the election hurt so much. My thoughts weren’t of my own well-being, but the hurt that I saw in communities that are so often marginalized and how I don’t want them to suffer. I want to fix it because I feel that pain. I feel their laments and I just want to make it better. But perhaps empathy is good here: I truly feel galvanized to use this site and my own resources to try to bring about change.
Spiritual and Energetic levels – I LOVE THAT! I’m reading the sequel to “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior.” It’s called, “The Sacred Journey of the Peaceful Warrior” where they talk about the three “selves” – the Conscious self, the “Basic” self and the “Higher” self and all three have to be in congruence to realize your potential. It’s a work of fiction, but the lessons are so profound in storyteller form. This is something I want to do: write visionary fiction that speaks to higher levels of consciousness.
You’re so right: we can’t experience Light without its opposite. We can’t experience happiness without knowing sadness. We can’t experience life’s highs without the lows. Yin and Yang.
You are wise, my dear friend. I’m so glad to know you and thrilled about this “comment conversation.” 🙂

That sounds a good book to read… I am re reading at the moment I read long ago.. By Stuart Wilde.. Called Infinite Self.. 33 steps to reclaiming your inner power… And it touches upon the things we speak of.. Ego, Fear, Meditation, Ritual, Discipline.. 🙂 of the mind 🙂

I needed to revisit it again as he reinforces the need for us to let go .. Easy reading in nice small chapters.. 🙂

I too love our conversations.. Sending huge hugs and keep manifesting your desires and dreams and they will be formed within our reality.
Love Sue xxx

Oh, I love that! Infinite Self…I’m adding that to my reading list. 🙂 Ego and fear…I’m reading about that, too, in my book. Good stuff! Letting go is an art, isn’t it? The Ego is so strong and wants to hold on…
I have enjoyed these conversations so much! I feel like I’ve gotten to know you better and you have such a heart of gold! Sending you many hugs and blessings this day! xx

Very interesting post. I grew up in a Christian tradition too, but in a presbyterian church that tended to push a God that was watching out to punish sins rather than love his subjects. I rebelled eventually, but felt enormous guilt for it. When I became friendly with an Anglican priest who had been brought up believing Jesus loved her no matter what it helped a lot to heal my feelings. Strangely though, unlike you, I still don’t like rituals. (At least not ones imposed on me, I probably have a few of my own for all that.)

But like you, I don’t hold any particular religion and so am spiritually independent too. I often find myself saying, “I’m not a Buddhist, but…” because much of Buddhism does make sense to me, particularly that God is in everything, that what we see in the world is a projection of our own beliefs and that a wise aim is to treat ourselves and others with loving kindness.

Yvonne – so neat to read about your history here. 🙂 It’s funny how so many of us turn away from the “guilt” of religion trying to, really, heal and to find love.
Buddhism often speaks to me, too. I’m with you in saying, “I’m not Buddhist, but…” so often. Alas, for better or worse, I know that “signing up for another religion” would most likely be counter-productive for me. I so like the idea of being an observer in order to incorporate it into the idea of “coexisting, no matter your beliefs.” Because, like you said, “God is in everything” – indeed. God is within ourselves. 🙂 Thank you for your awesome words and wisdom.